Tales of Machina
by Storm Arashi
Summary: In a world where humans and machines now co-exist what could happen? From the heartfelt to the just plain silly these are the lives of post-HEAMIC Team Machina and their friends as they live in Machina getting the lay of the land. From comforting to pranking...What story shall be told today?
1. Still You Fly

It was a hard long day. A day that had started out well but now was taking a turn for the worse.

Dusty sighed to himself, keeping to his hangar. He couldn't believe it, he had been fine and racing… and now…

_This is worse than when I was a human… At least then I could've flown fast!_

He couldn't believe he actually missed it, if at least for that one thing. To fly fast with no restrictions… No fear.

_Now… I can't ever race again…_

He closed his eyes fighting back tears. _Why…? Am I that horrible a person!? Am I being punished!?_

He didn't hear the door slide open a little as Olivia peered in, worried for her friend.

"Dusty...?" She asked quietly.

He turned to her. "Hey…"

She frowned and went over to him. "You… gonna be okay?"

Dusty sighed. "I don't know… I can't race anymore… What am I gonna do with myself?"

The little girl climbed up onto his wing bringing her arms around him. "You're gonna fly… That's what you're gonna do."

"Olivia… It's.. .It's not the same!" He closed his eyes as some tears escaped. "I hate feeling so… so powerless..."

"Dusty…" She murmured, keeping close to him trying to think of a way to help. "Never let it go…"

_Huh…?_ He opened his eyes, looking into hers.

"Never letting go… Gotta learn to grow… We'll watch as you touch the sky… Still you fly.." She smiled a little. "You're still you…"

He smiled a bit before sighing. "Thanks Livvie… just… wish it was different…"

"Well… you seemed to not give up so easily when you were a human… and Daddy wrecked the machine so can't go back… You can't give up… I won't let you.."

"Livvie…"

She stood up fully. "Bring it in! You're gonna shine! It'll be your moment! You gotta live it, live it right!" Olivia smiled. "Come on… you're my big brother… and no one else wants anything but you safe…"

Dusty looked at his reflection in a mirror against the wall. _Still the same cropduster…_ He thought.

"Well… I guess I'd be a real jerk if I egged your brother on about never giving up then gave up without even trying."

"And I'd be real sad if you decided to give up..." She knelt down, kissing his hood. "I love you Dusty… I don't want to see you give up ever…"

He gave her a nuzzle, glad she was around. "Love you too little sis… I won't give up…"

She grinned. "That's my bro.."

He smiled softly. "Thanks Livvie…"

She curled up to his side.

"Everything will work out.. .I can't imagine you giving up… Because..If you gave up… That means you give up everything… And I can't lose you or Andy…"

_Oh Olivia…_ Dusty thought. "You won't lose me…"

"Promise to never give up?"

"I promise."

She smiled.

"Still you fly…"

_I won't ever give up…_


	2. I'm Bored

Living in Propwash was a quiet if not sometimes strange life. From watching racing practice, to playing pranks on some of the neighbors...There could also be times where there was nothing to do.

On one of these 'nothing to do' types of days Andy Hayes had decided to try calling up his girlfriend Maya.

"I'm sorry but she's in school right now." Was the response he got from the girl's mother. He sighed feeling bored as he flopped onto his bed. His dog gave him a whine, dropping a red ball onto his master's bed.

Andy picked it up and threw it across the room watching the coon hound chase it like a loon. Somedays he kicked himself for not enrolling in school but there was another part of it that reminded him WHY he chose to stay out of it.

He felt like he didn't really have a need for for it. As egotistical a thought it was he already knew many things and more from the people in his life than he ever would in school. He wouldn't have made the changes he had if he had chosen to attend the recently opened high school in Propwash.

Unfortunately, now that meant he had to find something to do. Reading could get boring. He hated the computer the family had been gifted simply because it was too difficult in his mind to use. He was not going to touch a gun again, he was keeping that promise.

He sighed as Theo jumped onto the bed, licking his master's cheek. "Ewww!" He laughed looping an arm around the pooch. "Love you too Theo… C'mon, wanna go for a walk?" He asked.

Theo barked and ran for the door panting eager to get outside.

Andy chuckled and grabbed the old tether line and hooked it to his belt before adding it to his dog's collar.

The tether line he had been using for years, a harness or a simple leash just didn't do for Theo. He was trained to walk off leash and on leash yes but for times like this… Having his best friend tied to him ensured that the only way Theo could get away is if he gnawed it off.

As they walked on they greeted a few of their neighbors. Andy's parents were out and had taken Olivia with them as there was talk of fishing and Olivia wanted to learn. Andy having had his share of fishing as a kid passed.

_I'm so bored though..._He sighed, folding his arms behind his head, feeling lazy even as he walked.

Then something grabbed onto the landing gear coming out of his mechanical leg effectively pulling it.

Andy came to a halt and when it pulled harder… He yelped as he fell the pavement rushing up meet his face.

"Ugh…" He groaned, looking to see what had grabbed him.

He found his dog happily chewing on the wheel.

"THEO! No! Bad-"

POP.

And now it was a deflated wheel. Andy groaned facepalming. "Great…" _I don't know how to reinflate one of those...Which means I need to get to the Fill N Fly…_He grumbled a bit as he got up, whistling at his dog, despite the trouble he caused helped pull his master to his feet.

You would think a boy who was considered a revolutionary would be kept busy, things to sign, interviews to give.

You would think right? Except everyone has their off days and the fact that Andy was still a minor and his parents kept a majority of the media off his back.

But his idea of fun wasn't having to drag now a noisy busted wheel behind him as he made it to the repair shop.

...To find no one inside.

"...Crap and a half." He sighed and sat on the table deciding to just wait. He glanced around and looked at the wheel on his leg.

_Maybe I can fix it myself… But it's weird, usually Dottie's here… Unless she's with Dusty… or heaven help us she found a guy…_

As this thought train derailed he limped over to one of the sets of tools and set to work.

.… _Was that part supposed to make that sound?_

When Dottie did return she found a very sheepish boy a sleeping dog… And his mechanical leg in two pieces.

"How…" She started. "When…?" She picked up a wrench. "...Why!?"

"...I was bored!"

The forklift gave a frustrated groan and got to work.

"H-hey easy!"

"You were bored."

Andy learned a lesson that day…

Never use "I was bored" as an excuse when it came to annoyed forklifts. 


	3. Oops

Sometimes Andy really missed being an only child.

He loved Olivia of course, she was his little sister, the one he trusted with nearly everything.

But he hated how quickly she was able to take apart things and put them back together. Rather than put her in the elementary school their parents had asked if Dottie could show her the way around mechanics.

The forklift was happy to take the little girl under her wing and she was learning fast.

But Olivia had become obsessed with taking things apart and putting them back together now.

They once woke up to find the toaster in shambles and Olivia giving them a dirty look as she cleaned crumbs out of the parts.

Then she had taken apart Andy's bike of all things. "You don't use it anymore!" Was her argument when Andy had freaked out over seeing his bike in ruins. And like clockwork she put it back together.

Now... She was moving, onto bigger things and Andy feared for his leg. She was learning more and more from Dottie… And the more she eyed Andy's leg the more he tried to make sure his door was locked shut.

As it is..He should have expected the now eight year old to figure out how to get it unlocked. She simply unscrewed the doorknob and quietly made her way in.

Olivia looked at her sleeping brother before grinning and grabbing her tools.

_He won't even notice…_

She got to work, soon enough having the inner workings revealed.. And somehow managing to unscew and remove the landing gear from it as Andy snored on unaware of his little sister's 'operation'.

Only when she had it completely taken apart... She was stumped at how to put it back together.

She gulped as she scratched her head trying to make sense of it. _He's gonna be so mad…_ She thought and quickly got to work trying..Making it worse.

Looking at her sibling she grabbed an empty box and just began shoving the parts in and shoved it under the bed before fleeing to her room.

As morning came Andy awoke feeling refreshed, he sat up stretching. "Ah that was nice…" He yawned before swinging his legs over the side.

What he noticed sent him into silence as he stared.

His mechanical leg was mostly stripped down, he had his foot and some wires...That was about all that he could see.

His eye twitched.

"OLIVIA!"

Andy grumbled laying back on the repair table hearing Dottie murmur at how shocked she was of the extent of it.

"Yeah that one's YOUR fault." He growled a little.

The forklift looked at him wrench in hand. "How is this my fault?"

"You turned my sister into you." He snorted laying back down.

Dottie rolled her eyes and continued putting Andy's leg back together.

_She had the right idea though...This did need some adjustments anyway…_

"So how long is this gonna take?"

"...I might need you over night…"

"...I don't like that look you got."

"What look?"

Andy glared.

"The Grease Monkey look."


	4. Gelatin

Brody Hayes loved his wife, he loved everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she was happy.

But like all couples they had their spats...And Sarah had her own brand of revenge. Usually meant by it being Brody having to suffer through a terrible meal all to himself while his children and wife dined on something far more appetizing.

Sarah a year into their marriage had been gifted an old cookbook from her mother and typically picked one of the worst recipes in it to torment her husband with.

On a minor offense usually it was the couch and having bland food….

But on something major like when he had been drinking it usually meant everything was encased in gelatin.

He spent many a night eating a gelatin encased meal during his time working at HEAMIC and after becoming human again he thought maybe he'd get off the hook this once.

He thought MAYBE that had been punishment enough.

No.

Sarah had a point to make and that point was clear when she uncovered a dish to reveal…

A bunch of vegetables some sort of meat and...Was that marshmallows? All encased in gelatin. With something gross looking topping it.

"Sarah.." Brody swallowed hard as his kids looked at him in pity. They would have offered to take the food for him but they valued their taste buds too much.

"Yes dearest?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice taking her seat at the table helping herself to what else she had cooked.

Sarah Hayes was a skilled cook, she could make anything she wanted to and it always seemed to taste wonderful. Brody however also knew she could be terrible on purpose to get even.

And tonight the meal was roasted chicken with a honey glaze, whipped mashed potatoes and steamed corn.

"...Nevermind." He mumbled and nibbled at what was in front of him. _I love my wife...I love my wife…_ He told himself mentally. _I love my wife...I love love LOVE her…_

_GOD I hate gelatin though. I hate it, hate HATE it._


	5. Honk for Love

Lightning McQueen was not sure what to make of the large dry-erase board that now hung on his wall. Or the human girl that was using a pool stick to point out specifics in the 'plan' she had drawn up.

"Maya...Is this really necessary?' He asked giving the girl a look.

"You want to be a married car or what?" She shot back.

And there it was.

This was to help the racecar propose to the one car in the world that mattered most. He cared about all of his friends, human or not but there was only one girl for him.

Sally Carrera. He sighed a bit as he thought of her, her eyes, the way her paintjob glimmered in the sun.

The way she looked at him.

"Hey Machina to Lightning!" Maya tapped him a little on the hood with the pool stick.

"Hey watch it you'll scratch the paint!"

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Don't be such a girl. Now…"

The plan was...Somewhat strange. It started out normal, Lightning taking his girlfriend up to the Wheel Well for dinner and drinks, continuing into a drive along the more wooded area and ending up at the Cozy Cone.

"Then we'll all jump out with signs that spell out "SALLY CARRERA WILL YOU MARRY ME?" and then you present whatever it is machines use for proposing." She explained giving a big grin.

"...No." Lightning started driving away.

"Hey!" She ran after. "Come back!"

"I was all for it until you mentioned the last part!" He called back speeding up.

Maya pouted. "Aww man!"

Eventually the teenager had caught back up with him and this time was being sneaky about it. She had a bumper sticker and she wasn't afraid to use it.

She was so close, about to stick it on when…

"Hey what'cha doing?!"

Both human and car jumped whirling around...Maya tripped as she fell back moving a hand out to catch herself…

And slapping the sticker right on Lightning's hood over the decal on his hood. Mater blinked wondering what that was all about.

"M-Mater! Um..One second." She turned to see Lightning looking very annoyed as he had a "Honk if you will marry me" bumper sticker stuck to his hood, basically his face.

"Maya…" The racecar growled a little. "I'm giving you ten seconds...One…"

Maya took off running screaming like the devil was on her tail.

"TEN!"

With that Lightning took off like a rocket speeding after the girl. He wasn't going to hurt her no but he was going to get even. "I'M GONNA GET YOU! COME BACK HERE!"

"I WANNA LIVE! DOC SAVE ME!"

The doctor rolled his eyes and backed up into the clinic. "Kids."

The chase continued as they eventually came up to the Cozy Cone. Maya made a beeline for Sally's office.

"Oh no you don't-" Lightning growled.

Maya banged on the window. "SALLY HELP YOUR BOYFRIEND'S HOMICIDAL!"

_...Great….She's gonna come out and see this stupid thing on my FACE!_

Sally drove out blinking as she took in the image of what was before her. A sheepish and a little scared looking Maya, Lightning with an embarrassed look and a bumper sticker on his hood.

"..All this drama over a sticker?" She asked rolling up to Lightning looking at it…

And gasped a little. "Stickers…?"

Lightning smiled sheepishly. "Sally….Will you marry me?"

"...Yes!" She laughed nuzzling him.

Maya grinned and began backing up. "See? I had a good idea after all!"

The look Lightning gave her told her it wasn't over just yet.

_Yep I think it's time to go down and visit Andy!_ She ran for her life.

"IT'S NOT OVER YET WEST!"


	6. Skate on

Andy Hayes had loved bike riding since he was a little boy. He had taken great pride in his bicycle, riding it whenever he could, though he did love horseback riding, he could do bike riding easily without needing much work.

Except for now.

Having a mechanical leg with landing gear that acted as a built in crutch made it harder to use said bike. There was one instance where the wheels had gotten interlocked and he had wound up dragging himself along the road until he could get unstuck.

Another time he couldn't keep pedaling without the wheel causing him to get off balance and wound up right into a bush.

The final straw was when he had been seen by his friends struggling and getting the pitied look.

"I...Give...UP!" He yelled kicking the bike as it fell over.

Brody shook his head standing it back up. "Come on son, you know what they say….You gotta get back on if you wanna ride."

Andy sighed. "...I don't want to…" He walked off shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Where are you going?"

"I think my leg is perpetually stupid or somethin'!"

Brody shook his head, he knew his son was glad to have it, to still have a leg to stand on and run with. But he understood that there were times it was just a hassle.

_Hm...He needs something so he can still get around but won't get tangled in.._

Brody headed inside to think this over as Andy headed over to the fields.

The fields had gotten bigger since humans moved in, along with corn fields, there was wheat and a garden full of vegetables and fruits. He made himself comfortable as he spotted a familiar cropduster plane practicing over the fields.

"Hey y'know you can't make crop circles like that!" He called with a grin.

Dusty rolled his eyes a little. "That joke was funny the first time not the tenth!" He called back down.

Andy chuckled watching as he performed turns, barrel rolls and dives. His usual training regimen, that kept him in shape for racing.

He soon came in for a landing to rest. "Man...That felt great!" The plane grinned.

"Looked pretty cool too." The boy replied giving Dusty a thumbs up.

"What about you? ...Still trying the bike?" He had to ask, they all had seen the various wipeouts he had on that thing.

Andy cringed and threw himself backwards into the grass. "It's impossible!" He groaned. "If I don't get tangled in it, it pops back out. If it doesn't pop out and get me off balanced it gets in the wheel.." Andy ran a hand through his hair annoyed.

"So you're gonna give up huh?" Dust glanced up at the sky, noticing it was cloudy. _Hope it doesn't rain I promised I'd let Olivia use one of my wings for balance while she-...Lightbulb._ "Have you tried roller skates?"

The teenager admittedly had not thought of that. "Skates?" He echoed sitting up.

"Yeah!" Dusty replied rolling a bit. "Your legs are like your front wheels...So the gear in the back acts like the equalizer of sorts. It's the balance. You'd probably be better suited for something with all wheels instead of a bike. You can't get tangled up in them." He replied leaning down a little to offer Andy something to hang onto as he pulled himself up.

"Alright…" He rubbed the back of his neck unsure if this was a good idea. But Dusty had never steered him wrong before. "...But if I break this leg and Dottie comes after me I'll tell her who really T.P.'d the Fill N Fly."

Dusty cringed. "I thought we agreed to never speak of that again."

"Oh I'll speak of it again." _Ugh...Still can't believe we pinned the blame on Sparky and he took it like a man! _Andy cringed remembering the Halloween incident. "Well let's go."

"...Do you even own skates?"

"I'm sure we have some lying around somewhere."

A couple of hours messing with the shed, a box of dropped old plates that somehow didn't shatter and a few choice words...Andy was ready.

Olivia had joined in since she had wanted to learn anyways. "Alright easy now…"

Twenty minutes later Olivia was literally skating circles around her other brother who was trying to keep upright. Currently he was slumped over Dusty's wing as the plane rolled forward slowly as the boy tried to keep his footing.

"You should try going up front, if you stand still I could nudge you along." The plane suggested.

Andy grimaced at the idea, he would never live it down if anyone else he knew saw him.

_They already saw you eating roses cause of the last fall…_

"...Okay…" He shakily made his way forward arms thrown out to keep himself balanced. "W-whoa!"

"Easy…" Dusty nudged him along careful not to cut him by accident with his prop. It was a strange sight, a teenage boy with a cropduster pushing him along. "I'm gonna shove a little harder alright? Think you can keep balanced?"

Andy nodded but inside he was nervous. He wasn't really looking forward to eating the pavement if this didn't work out.

He figured his parents didn't need dental bills on top of everything else.

"One…"

Andy swallowed hard as Dusty moved back a little. _Oh this isn't gonna be pretty._

He didn't bother finishing as he rolled forward nudging him harder than before as the boy went forward. "THREE!"

"Traitor!" Andy yelled as he tried to keep balance surprised he was still doing so. Hesitating a bit he moved forward surprised he was actually still upright and not faceown in the road.

"Andy! Your doing it!" Dusty cheered as the boy laughed skating in a small circle before Olivia nearly rammed into him.

"...Tag. Your it." His sister grinned before skating away.

"After her!" Andy laughed as he and Dusty gave chase.

_Who needs bikes anyways?_


	7. Nightmares

_Ngh….__Andy did not feel right, last he had remembered he was on top of that psycho woman trying to stop her and a gunshot had gone off._

_He felt heavy, like he was being weighed down. His body felt hot as well, like he had been out in the sun for too long, or accidentally scalded himself in the shower._

"_Ugh…" He groaned as he opened his eyes wincing as the light hit them._

_He was laying on a table in a garage somewhere. It was a repair shop that's all he could really tell about it. He hadn't been in one before but it seemed to be as what the machines he had been around described._

_The door opened as someone rolled in. Andy forced himself up and saw the regretful face of Dottie, although the mechanic looked relieved she also looked guilty. "Andy...You're up..Thank goodness..How do you feel?" She asked looking him over._

"_Weird what happened?" He asked._

"_It's...Better if you see.." She rolled over a mirror covered by a sheet removing it…_

_Showing Andy that his entire body was encased in metal, with various wires and tubes coming out of what seemed to be everywhere possible. The only thing that was human...Was his leg._

"_What…? No…"_

"_I'm sorry...You were too badly injured…"_

__"_No…" Andy shook his head backing up. "No…"_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The boy opened his eyes as he sat up in bed breathing hard. He quickly looked at his hands flexing them before forcing himself out of bed and to the full mirror on his wall.

Same now matted and messy brown hair, same green eyes, same skintone...Even still had his now mechanical leg.

He breathed a sigh of relief resting his forehead against the cold glass.

Sometimes he had nightmares, voicing the "what if" scenarios that sometimes came up.

But that was the worst yet.

_I'm part machine...I don't want to BE a machine…_


	8. Prank War at Piston Peak part 1

Andy sometimes couldn't believe the situations his girlfriend was capable of pulling him into.

Sometimes it was worth it like horseback riding through the woods during the night, or spending a stormy night running through the town laughing quietly trying not to wake anyone up while they got soaked.

The only thing Maya had never talked him into doing was dance. Andy Hayes did NOT dance, would not dance and that he vowed would remain that way until he was dead.

Maya tried many times to attempt this, from tricking him to walking her to her dance class during one week spent in Radiator Springs...And trying and failing to get him to be her dance partner.

To asking him to a school dance, he agreed to go to the dance as her date, but that night Andy became a fly on the wall almost literally.

The closest she ever got thus far was him holding her and the two swaying to the music on a radio...Far from where anyone they knew would see.

So now when he realized he would be a room across from her at the Piston Peak lodge, and that she had packed one of her favorite dresses, that he was in trouble.

The feeling of dread increased when she asked him what she thought of her new dancing shoes.

Andy knew that question could be answered with a grunt, a shrug or a smile and a kiss on the cheek with murmuring how they didn't compare to her beauty.

He usually would choose the third option had it been anything else. He loved seeing the way her eyes lit up, the way her cheeks took on a pale pink hue whenever he complimented her. He thought it was cute and more than anything...He loved seeing the girl he loved happy.

But when it came to her usual traps he was torn. He wanted to compliment her, but when it came to shoes it usually was the opener to some sort of attempt to trick him onto the dance floor.

"They look good...Comfortable." He finally said.

Maya crossed her arms leaning on the doorway cocking an eyebrow. "Just comfortable eh?" She mumbled.

Andy shrugged and chose to play dumb for now.

"They're having a party later tonight…" She said.

"That's nice. I'll be hanging out with the fire crew watching movies." Andy replied, he hadn't made plans yet but he was sure if he could get out of this hallway and flee to where they were he could hope that "Guy Code" transcended all the way out here.

Maya pouted looking genuinely hurt. "Andy...How come you never dance with me?" She asked softly not in the mood to try tricking him this time. Initially she had came up with this big elaborate scheme but now she was curious.

Andy knelt a little and knocked on his mechanical leg. "This thing's wheel sticks out, and the knee's been stiff for weeks."

"It hasn't the other times…" She murmured. "And if you can go through a crowded street with the wheel out and still be upright then...I don't understand…"

The boy glanced away as he felt his cheeks go warm. "Maya….I don't really wanna talk about this." He murmured loud enough to be heard as he stood up fully.

She sighed shaking her head. "Whatever…" She went back into her room closing the door quietly.

_Alright she's not mad...If she was mad she would've slammed it._

He headed back into his own room.

A few hours later he had somehow gotten dragged to said party by his parents claiming he can't hide forever.

Maya had come down as well, and decided she wasn't going to push it. If she had to she would just find someone willing to dance with her.

Andy had wound up sitting at a table, talking to Dusty and Maru keeping it quiet.

"You know I could fix that leg up no problem." The mechanic had pointed out.

Dusty rolled his eyes knowing all about Andy's avoidance when it came to this. "Oh it's not the leg, that's the go to excuse. The go to excuse is never the real reason."

Andy mentally cursed the cropduster out. "...I can't dance okay!?" He hissed.

They gave him a long look. "So…" Maru started. "You've been letting other guys dance with your girlfriend...Your GIRLFRIEND ever since?"

He nodded taking a swig of his rootbeer glancing around.

"The girl who could probably get swept off her feet." Dusty added.

"The girl you risked your butt for?"

Andy rolled his eyes wondering where they got the idea they could guilt trip him from. That's when he stopped short.

He saw her.

Being twirled around and brought close to a stranger in an energetic tango like dance.

For some reason… This made him very annoyed. She never did something like that before with someone. Usually it was just dancing with her girlfriends or something of the likes.

Or a friend who was just strictly a friend but still a guy.

But this..

_Oh...HELL no._ He growled slamming down his drink. "Excuse me." He cracked his knuckles and all but stormed over to where they were.

Maya looked up and saw him giving a confused look as she was spun by her dance partner. Andy did not know this, but this had been a cousin of her's who she had no idea had come to the lodge as well. She was comfortable dancing with him because that's what they had done all their childhood at family parties. But the look of rage on Andy's face said he had no idea.

"Watch out." She murmured before humming a few notes of the song playing.

"Hey..Mind if I cut in?" He hissed. Her cousin smiled and bowed politely nudging the girl to him before fleeing.

Andy knew he couldn't back out now. If he walked back to that table he would NEVER hear the end of it.

"The next song is Rhythm of the World…" Maya murmured leaning on him a little as he brought his arms around her. "Just follow my lead."

"Maya...I can't dance. I'll sway but that's about it." He said softly as he started to do this.

_Oh no...I got him out onto the dance floor in public, he ain't wussing out this time!_ She thought and pulled back grasping his hands.

"Like I said...Follow my lead. It's easy." She said as the next song started up. Quickly she spun holding her arm out as Andy grasped her hand spinning her a little. He felt like an idiot.

"It's time to Tango in Tahiti, shake it up in south Miami, disco under Paris lights…" She sung quietly to herself as she went through the dance routine her class had been learning. They had needed partners for this so it was a little difficult not having her usual partner.

But this was the boy she loved. He was worth it. Andy sighed and decided to just follow her lead. Before long they were moving along to the music, Maya grinning at him.

Andy couldn't help but wonder if that had been a trap when they walked back to the table for a rest. He took notice of how she was dressed and felt blood rush to his face.

She was wearing a light green dress, that hung off her shoulders, a blue scarf tied around her waist, ribbons tied around her wrist, matching the one braided into her hair. Blue earrings and some make up.

He smiled and looped an arm around her, leaning in a little.

"You look beautiful…"

She beamed and leaned into him nuzzling him a little.

"Love you...Twinkles toes." She said this aloud as she quickly ran off as fast as she could in what she was wearing.

It took Andy a second to realize what she said...As Dusty and Maru cracked up laughing.

"T-Twinkle toes!" Maru howled smacking the table a little. "Ha! That's the best!"

Dusty was laughing too much to speak.

Andy growled. "Oh excuse me...At least my girlfriend is here."

"HEY!" Dusty protested.

"Single." Maru smirked.

Andy smirked. "So why did you keep asking Dusty about what Dottie liked?"

Both machines fell silent as the boy walked off.

"We get him tonight."

"Agreed."


	9. Prank War at Piston Peak Part 2

The sound of knocking awoke a tired Sarah Hayes from her sleep as she groggily made her way to the door. Opening it she found Dusty, Maru and a cart outside of it.

"What?" She yawned.

"Is Andy awake?" Dusty asked, hoping she was groggy enough to not question why they wanted her son at this hour.

"He's asleep."

"Perfect….Can we borrow him?"

Sarah sensing this could lead to calamity and too tired to care sighed and thumbed to the last bed on the right where the boy laid. "Only kill him if you have to...And don't wake Olivia up." She yawned and went back to bed crawling under the covers. She was out in seconds snoring a little.

The two quietly rolled in, but then the dilemma before them appeared.

Andy was fast asleep curled up somewhat...With Olivia using most of her brother for a pillow.

"If we move him she'll wake up." Dusty whispered.

"If we don't then it's off." Maru whispered back. Carefully, they shifted Olivia so she was laying on her pillow rather than her brother's shoulder. Then rolled Andy onto the cart his leg making a loud noise as it collided with it. They froze looking around quickly.

No one else moved. They held their breath until they had moved the boy out of the room.

"Phew…" Dusty sighed not realizing he had been holding his breath. "This better be worth it."

"Oh it will be...It will be."

Whilst the insults had not really been that bad...It was just too tempting to play a prank on Andy when there was no where else to hide… And nothing else to do.

The prank set up took a good hour or so to set up. Andy was luckily for them a heavy sleeper so he was unaware of what was being done.

They had managed to bribe a makeup artist staying at the lodge to do a make up to look like he had been through a fire, burns and all. Making fake injuries, messing up his hair. Once it was done...it was time. Dusty briefly considered if this was a good idea...But then remembered the previous April Fools Day and decided it was worth it.

"Andy...Andy wake up!"

Andy groaned at the sound of his friend calling his name. "Dusty…..?" _What the heck…?_

_...Alright something is definitely weird here. Why do they look worried?_

"Uh...Guys? What's wrong?"

"Thank goodness.." Dusty when he wanted to was a good actor and he was trying hard to fight down the nagging guilty feeling he was getting for the prank being pulled.

"What happened?" The boy asked looking at himself eyes going wide.

"The….The lodge got set on fire...No worries your family and Maya are safe but you…" Dusty trailed off glancing to the side.

"What about me? What's wrong?" He asked.

Maru rolled over...Wielding a chainsaw. "Sorry kid...But we'll have to amputate...Both of 'em."

Andy quickly moved off the table backing up. "Oh no!"

"Don't let 'em escape!" The mechanic exclaimed revving it.

"AHHHH!" Andy took off running, as Dusty feigned giving chase.

"Come back!"

"NO! YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" He screamed making a beeline for the lodge before stopping realizing that it was indeed still standing.

And that it finally hit him that he didn't feel in pain at all from the supposed injuries. He rubbed at one of the 'burns' finding it was just body paint.

It became clear to him he could hear laughing in the distance.

"Oh this is war." He muttered. _These guys have way too much time on their hands...Wings...Lifts..WHATEVER...But I'll get even..._

_But I'm gonna need some help._ He smirked.

Andy then got an idea...An awful idea..

Andy got a wonderful awful idea.

A few days had passed since Maru and Dusty's late night prank on the teenager.

Andy had mysteriously said nothing of it, just gave them a smirk while going about his day. He was still enjoying his trip with his family and girl but there was a bigger purpose now.

One morning, the fire crew woke up to find something strange.

Many of them had started to wake up with mustaches drawn on them with sharpies...Or other things sketched on as well.

"Andy!"

Andy glanced up from where he was laying on a beach towel lowering his sunglasses a bit to look at the annoyed cropduster turned firefighter.

He snickered. "Nice 'stache." He commented.

"Did EVERYONE need 'em!?"

"Dunno, wasn't me." He replied making himself comfortable. "'Sides you gotta admit your stalker looks funny with one."

With the mention of Dipper they both looked around quickly before Dusty let out a snicker. "Alright your right...Ya got me you don't have to play dumb…"

"Seriously...It wasn't me." Andy said giving him a cocked eyebrow. "You know my style, I don't wait. Do I?"

He thought back to when he had asked the boy for help regarding Dipper's sleep watching habit. Andy had spent an entire night hanging upside down from a beam in the fangirl's hanger staring at her. "Nope."

"See? Not me." He laid back down. "Now if you excuse me..I'm getting uneven."

Dusty rolled his eyes as he went off to get cleaned up. _Oh you're getting even…_

Unbeknownst to him another set of eyes watched as a certain small girl giggled clutching a black sharpy.

_Hee._


	10. Prank War at Piston Peak Part 3

Alright he heard it. He knew he heard it.

Dusty rolled around the parameters outside his hanger trying to spot whoever it was walking around. It had to be a human, since it was footsteps not the rolling of tires.

Now which human he wasn't sure. It could've even been another person staying at the lodge.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…." He called quietly passing a bush. "Olly olly oxen free…"

Olivia who was inside the bush willed herself to stay put. She didn't want him mad at her, even if it was funny to play a few tricks on him.

_Please go to bed!_ She silently pleaded peering out, seeing the familiar orange and white plane circle around one more time. She vaguely wondered if this was how a fish felt before a shark gobbled it up. The thought made her curl up more.

Outside Dusty peered into the bush, unbeknownst to Olivia there was an opening that he could see into. He was genuinely surprised to see the little girl curled up into an upright ball inside it.

OLIVIA was the prankster? Olivia Rebecca Hayes, Livvie, his little sister!

Then he started to wonder just what made her decide to prank the firefighters of all things.

Even if Blade looked pretty funny with a big yellow smiley face doodled on his side door.

Quietly he went around and aimed carefully before swooping in.

Olivia let out a squeal as his wing caught the underside of her vest as she was hoisted up into the air. "H-hey!" She protested squirming before it dawned on her just who had caught her. "Uh...Hi?" She said lamely.

Dusty looked unimpressed. "You and I are gonna have a little chat young lady."

She pouted and just let herself be carried off. "I'm sorry."

The plane sighed. "As funny as a lot of those shenanigans were…" He said setting her down gently once inside the hanger. "I have to ask...Why?"

Olivia sat down on the ground looking up. "Cause it's war." She grinned.

Dusty blinked. "What? War?" He echoed. "What do you mean by that!?"

"Well...You pranked my big brother…" She got up and dusted off her jeans fixing her vest. "So he asked me to help prank you guys...I just got the others cause it was funny." She grinned.

And there it was. He was sure she would NEVER prank him at least but the seven and a half year old proved him wrong. Dusty sighed, he knew that there was only one way to get the shenanigans to stop...At least on him.

Olivia got a look of horror upon her face as she realized what he was getting ready to do. "No! No no!" She bolted for the door but Dusty was blocking it easily. "Dusty!" She gave a whine. "That's not fair!"

He was giving her the saddest puppy dog face he could manage. And it broke her heart to see that look. "Please switch sides little sis?"

"DARN IT! ...Okay!" She jumped up trying to hug him, he lowered himself a little to give her leverage. Olivia then proceeded to "hug the paint off" the cropduster.

_Haha she's on MY side now Andy!_

"Are we cool?" She asked curling up a little. He nuzzled her a bit.

"Of course Olivia...Now… What's Andy's biggest fear?"

She blinked. " Uh….."

Andy couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. When he was hiking with Maya he got that feeling, when he was swimming (and trying his darndest not to drown thanks to the built in anchor that was his leg) he got the feeling.

Now he was just relaxing in his room enjoying the air conditioning, dozing a bit. He was tired, was in no mood for pranks right now...Although the pranks on the firefighters had stopped. He guessed Olivia felt guilty for pranking Dusty and called it cold turkey. He couldn't blame her.

He was just about to fall into a deep sleep when he felt something on his face.

The distinct feeling of tiny legs moving.

_Oh no…_ A feeling of terror overcame him as he tried to swipe it off..Only to have that feeling transfer to his hand.

_OH NO!_

He opened his eyes…

To find a large black spider on his hand.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He flung the critter across the room and got up bolting out of it like a bat out of hell. "GETITAWAY!"

He didn't notice the flash and snap of a camera.

Nor did he realize the spider was actually a remote controlled toy.

All he registered was one thing.

_SPIIIIIIDDDEEEERRR!_

HEAMIC? Could handle it.

Brody being next to a bottle of wine? Could handle it.

Olivia being hurt? Terrifying and worried but could handle it as long as she lived.

His mom, Dottie and possibly any other authority figures angry? Terrifying but again handle it.

Spiders?

Never in a million years.

"GETITAWAY!" And that's when he ran into it.

A spider web. That got all over him. And the screaming began all over again as he ran through the lodge and out the backdoor to the patio trying to find some way to wash it off.

Unaware he was being filmed for "The Greatest Flewtube Video ever." and being laughed at.

"Should we tell him the web's really just cotton candy?" Olivia asked munching on a fresh batch of the sweet treat perched on Dusty's wing. Maru and Dusty looked to each other and looked at Andy who dove into the pool out back.

"...Nah."

Later that night Andy crept into Dusty's hanger making sure to leave his shoes by the door. He could tell when he was sticky still after the "spider web" melted off of hm that it was actually sugar.

And he knew only one, plane with enough height to him to give someone small like himself or Maya or even Olivia a boost to do such a deed.

Andy uncapped not a marker, no, that would be too easy.

It was a paint pen meant for model toys.

A permanent paint pen.

He tried not to laugh, as he wrote on each blade of his friend's prop before sneaking out leaving a still snoozing Dusty unaware.

The next morning Dusty lazily rolled out of his hanger giving a brief nod to the firefighters too tired to say anything right now.

Until they all froze hearing a deafening squeal.

Dipper was rolling towards Dusty so fast he thought she might take off. But she only got up in his face squealing: "YES!" Over and over and attempting to kiss him, each attempt he dodged.

"You suicidal!?" Maru hollered over the noise. "With THAT on your prop!?"

Dusty started speeding away from the super scooping plane. His prop!? What the HECK was on his prop!?

He after twenty minutes of trying to get away from Dipper managed to duck into one of the rooms in the lodge. He looked in the large mirror and froze. He started to feel a mixture of very annoyed and pure rage at what was scrawled on his prop in white pen or paint, he couldn't tell at the time.

"Will you Marry Me Dipper?" Was scrawled on each blade with a tiny white heart at the end of the question.

He knew Olivia would NEVER stoop this low, Dipper actually scared her so it was not her. Maya actually liked living.

"...That..Little…" He stormed out. "AAAAANNNNDDDDDDDYYYY!"

The boy enjoying breakfast smirked.

Olivia gulped.

Sarah felt her eyebrow twitch a little. "Andrew...What did you do?" She hissed.

"...It was worth it!" He took off running, as Dusty came into view giving chase.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"No ya won't!" He taunted climbing up onto a support beam over the archway in the lobby, being quick to avoid an attempt at his metal leg. "'Sides I thought I was doing ya a little favor. I thought you liked living dangerously." Andy teased, not wanting to admit that right now Dusty was scarier than the spider in his room from the previous day.

The plane snarled revving his engine a little prop spinning. The words couldn't even be seen now.

Andy now realized that this was probably a bad idea when his mother stormed out of the dining hall.

_Oh god…_

"Come down here and face your execution like a man!"

"NEVER!"

They went silent, Dusty cutting his engine as they heard a loud throat clearing. Slowly they looked and cringed.

Sarah Hayes, still in her pajama's, her bathrobe and looking clearly peeved at the two of them.

"Dustin…" She said in a low tone, her "mom voice". "I will ask you only once to NOT maim my only son. I actually would like him to give me grandchildren one day."

"Dustin?" Dusty mumbled wondering where she got THAT from. "...Fine...But-"

"AH AH!" She cut him off. "No buts mister!"

Andy laughed. "Busted!"

"And YOU!" She roared turning on her son. Andy was suddenly very glad he was high up now. "You come down here THIS INSTANT!"

As soon as he did, he received a swift smack upside the head. "OW!"

"What did you use?" She demanded gesturing to the graffiti. "Sharpy?"

"..Model paint pen."

"...The one your grandfather uses to paint "names" on his favorite guns?" She asked slowly.

"...Yes…"

Sarah groaned running her hand down her face. Andy lowered his head glancing up at Dusty who still looked annoyed. "Andy...You will be paying out of your allowance to fix that…"

"W-what!?"

"Ha."

"And DUSTY! I expected better of you."

"...Sorry." Both looked away now, feeling more then a little embarrassed. Sarah Hayes was a force to be reckoned with.

"Now...Go. March!"

"...Where?" They both asked.

Sarah growled. "You interrupted my morning coffee...Go to your rooms!"

Dusty felt tempted to remind Sarah that not only was he fully grown but that she was NOT his mother. But the look of utter murder in her eyes said enough. "...My hangar. GO!" They ran for it.

"And no more pranks!" She called after them.

"Truce?"

"If we live YES!"

The last few days the Hayes family spent at Piston Peak Andy spent those days playing Guardian Human trying to keep Dipper from declaring their wedding vows while Dusty slept.

Andy learned his lesson, never write on a sleeping plane unless you wanted to die young


	11. Coming Home

It had been awhile since he had seen this town. The small town bustling full of life. He could see some kids, both machine and human playing in the street.

_It's good to be back._ He flew over the rebuilt Fill N Fly grinning a little. But he wasn't heading there just yet.

"_Promise you'll visit us first when you get home?"_

"_I promise kiddo."_

He had a promise to keep. Flying over a field he could see the two looking up at the sky looking for him. He grinned, they had no idea he had a new paintjob, they were looking for the orange he was known for… And wasn't right now.

He banked around before coming in for a landing. The wind kicked up blew the siblings hair around as he came to a stop a few feet away from them.

"Hey guys." Dusty smiled, glad to be home.

Olivia squealed and ran up to him. "Dusty! Your back!" She tried hugging his wing..But thanks to the new pontoons replacing most of his landing gear she was now too small to climb up...And slid right off. "Ow!"

Andy shook his head and helped her up. "You look great….How you feeling?"

"I'm feeling like myself again...Thanks." He replied lowering himself a little giving Olivia a chance to climb up next to her friend. "Hey there little gal."

Olivia hugged him, sniffling a little. "Hi…" She mumbled nuzzling a little. His gaze softened as he returned the gesture.

"Shh… Hey it's okay now…." He murmured. "Don't cry…"

She sniffled and nodded. "I just missed you a whole lot…"

"This one cried herself to sleep the night you left." Andy replied patting his sister's back gently. "...I'll admit I teared up too."

"Aw kids…" He didn't think they would miss him THAT much. He was touched...And he had missed them too. He missed everyone from back home. "I missed you guys too… So much."

"Your all done with training right?" Olivia asked hopefully. "You don't have to leave soon right?"

"I'm here to stay unless they need my help...Or if I need to brush up on some training. But that won't be for awhile Livvie." Dusty assured her nuzzling her a little. She giggled kissing his hood.

"Good.." She smiled relaxing a little staying where she was just content he was home safe and sound. "Was it scary?"

"A little scary." He admitted. "But it was also...Amazing.." Dusty added in remembrance. "And...I have some other news too."

The kids gave him a confused look.

He grinned. "I'm fixed."

Their eyes went wide. Olivia started crying out of relief, hugging her friend as tightly as she could. "Thank goodness...Thank goodness." She murmured smiling through her tears.

Andy looped an arm over a wing as he grinned, trying not to show he was getting a little teary eyed as well. "That's...That's great!"

"I knew you could do it… Never letting go, learned to grow...You touched the sky…" Olivia beamed.

"Still I fly…And now I know it's what I'll do, I found a dream, gave it all I got this time…" He grinned just so happy to be home..To be fixed.

"You brought it in! Your shining! It's your moment, you're living it, living it right! Flying...Flying so strong!" She laughed.

Andy grinned. "You're never letting it go Dusty...Welcome home."

The plane smiled chuckling a bit. "It's good to be home...I never gave up guys…"

_Still I fly…._


	12. Crop Circling

It was a matter of revenge. No one liked the attitude of a certain cropdusting plane, no one liked how he had treated Dusty when he was injured.

And no one liked how obnoxious he was about the crops in general. That's how Andy found himself being commander of yet another team. Or rather taking back control of Team Machina only for a very...Different reason. Only Chug, Dusty, Lightning (he couldn't resist when spending time in the town and hearing about this) Sparky, Andy and Maya were involved. Dottie requested she be left out of whatever plot it was so she wasn't made to lie.

"Alright we go in after dark, someone brings some lights for those of us without built in headlights." He said kneeling on a large blue print paper that had "the plan".

Sparky rolled over holding up tools designed to get rid of weeds as well as for the humans something simple...A wooden plank with pieces of rope tied through it. A tool meant for this purpose oddly enough. "We got everything we need right here!"

Lightning snickered. "Oh this'll be epic." He grinned.

Dusty merely gave his best attempt at an evil look. "Quite."

Maya rubbed her hands together after tying her hair back to keep it out of the way. "Alright what time exactly?"

"Around nine, should be dark enough by then." Andy replied.

"Leadbottom should be done by then, been watching him for a couple of days to get an idea of when he calls it quits." Chug said with a grin. They all had been eager about this plan since Dusty had gotten back from Piston Peak. It was cooked up and now being put to use fairly quickly.

The scheme was mainly messing with Leadbottom's head, a way to get revenge over a pretty quick amount of time.

"Alright...Plan Close Encounter of the First Kind is a go!"

When night fell they got to work quickly, following the design drawn up. It took them all night, quite a few breaks and sweat on the humans part until it was done.

A large circle with three smaller ones around it was now etched into the field.

To add insult to injury Dusty did away with the Vitominamulch stash, hiding it where he was sure no one else would find it.

They quickly fled as dawn approached, scattering to their respective homesteads.

However they did leave a camera hidden in the area, due to guessing they'd be too tired to wake up to see the reaction.

They wouldn't need it.

As Leadbottom flew over the crops he saw it. His eyes went wide as he banked around to do a double take.

"...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream was heard through out Propwash Junction.

And thus started a chain of pranks. When the crops grew back enough, they got bolder with the designs. From certain insignia's and numbers, to full out writing: "EAT AT JOE'S" once. The more it happened the more irritated Leadbottom got.

"So when should we stop?" Dusty asked flying over the latest defacement of the crops. Andy hanging on by a special harness grinned.

"Never."


	13. Fire Shower

That alarm, it never would cease to startle him. Flying out, ready for any situation.

He just didn't expect this...The woods around Propwash somehow had been set alit, and there was possible survivors inside it. Between dropping fire retardant and searching he was grateful that due to an event, the Piston Peak team were also with him searching it out, putting it out.

That's when he spotted a familiar shine of silvery metal. _Oh no… That better not be who I think it is…_

he flew down dropping water as he soaked who it was putting out the fire all around them as well. Andy coughed and sputtered as he stumbled forward trying to get his legs to move. "Andy!?" Dusty yelled shocked. The teenager had some burns, and he looked exhausted.

"Dusty...Find her...Please!" He pleaded.

"Find who? Sarah…? ...Maya?" _Just don't say-_

"IT'S OLIVIA!" Andy screamed back before breaking into a coughing fit, the smoke's effect on his lungs kicking in.

He nodded and flew further in. "This is Dusty to Dynamite, survivor found, in need of assistance, human age seventeen, has a mechanical prosthesis."

"Copy that we'll pick him up."

On the other side where the fire was still burning strong, Olivia tried ducking and dodging around the falling tree limbs all around her, the smoke was thick.

She coughed hard as she tried running for the path, which seemed to be the only thing not set on fire.

_Andy...Where is he? _They had gotten separated when the fire had sparked up, he went one way trying to find her, she went another trying to find him.

Now she was by herself, trying to get out of there. "Hello!?" She called. "Anyone there!?" She broke off into a coughing fit, taking a wrong step as she shrieked hitting the ground. Now her knee hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. She wanted to just lay there, but there was that nagging in the back of her mind.

_You have to live. Get up. Stand up!_

Olivia coughed forcing herself onto her hands and knee's yelping as one hit the ground. The smoke wasn't as thick low to the ground. _But would anyone find me this low?_

At this point she didn't care. She just crawled along, for a moment she thought she heard the sound of a propeller, but she brushed that off. _I'm so tired...My chest hurts...My knee hurts...I can't breathe…_ She heard a tree limb snapped and braced herself thinking it would be just a small one. A few had hit her already.

She didn't expect a large one to break off and hit her square in the back pinning her. She let out a shriek as she hit the ground.

_No…._ She didn't want to die. Not like this. Not alone. _Mommy….Daddy….Andy...Dottie...Dusty…_

The sound was there again, close now.

Dusty had her in his sights, he radioed in for assistance as he released water to put out the flames that surrounded the girl.

He looked at her as she raised her head a little to look at him. A moment later her head dropped down, Olivia just couldn't take it anymore… She was unconscious.

"No...Olivia…!"

Blade's hoist swooped in removing the tree branch as the commander looked at Dusty with a nod.

He swooped in nudging her, trying to see if she was still alive. She coughed a little letting out a whimper.

"She's still alive!"

"The rest of the fire's out...Let's get her out of here."

The first thing that registered to the girl was that she was thirsty. Her throat felt dry and scratchy.

The second thing was that she wasn't on the ground anymore. She was laying in a bed somewhere. She looked around blearily noting it was a hospital room. There was a brace around her knee to keep it from being moved.

"Mm….?" _What happened? Last thing I remember….I was stuck...And...I thought I saw Dusty but he's gone..._

Olivia tried sitting up hissing when she leaned forward. Her back was sore. Someone, a doctor or a nurse was passing by her room and noticed she was awake.

"Hey there honey…" Said a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. Olivia thought she looked petty. "Welcome back...How do you feel?"

"Thirsty...Sore…" She said quietly her voice hoarse.

"One second." In a few minutes she was able to drink water and very glad to have it.

"What's your name?" She asked her voice clear now.

The woman smiled. "My name's Nurse Angie Thompson… I've been looking after you since you got brought in."

"When was that?"

"Just last night, don't worry it's not always a week like they say on TV." Angie assured giving her a wink. Olivia giggled a bit but soon frowned.

"Where's my brother? Is he okay?"

"Andy's fine...He's actually been causing quite the ruckus…. The doctor who's been assigned to both your cases has been trying to keep him from over reacting since seven."

"Can you tell him I'm okay?" She asked.

"Can do." She turned to leave.

"Um…"

"Yes?"

Olivia laid back down. "...Nevermind."

The day went on, as one could expect. Andy was moved to the room next to her, so she got to see her brother. Their parents had come by not long after hearing the kids were both up.

They felt awful for worrying them, Brody and Sarah rarely cried in front of ther kids, and at this time they both did, grateful their children were alive.

It wasn't until around eight that night, that Olivia got a visitor.

It was luck that the hospitals now were big enough to accommodate humans and machines since her visitor was one she had been wondering about all day.

Dusty quietly rolled in looking back briefly before speeding up until he was next to the girl's bed. "Hey there…" He was exhausted, another fire had popped up and it was stubborn, it had taken him and the team all day to put it out. But he didn't want to risk something happening on his watch hence him being here now. "How do you feel?"

The girl looked up at her friend and shrugged. "Good… I think. My knee's all twisted so I can't run." She pouted sitting up hissing a little.

Dusty winced trying to gently nudge her back to lying down. "You shouldn't be getting up…" He sighed. "You've been through a lot."

Olivia pushed back til she was sitting back up again. "I've been laying down all day, I'm tired of that!" She quieted and looked down at the blanket that was over her. "... Did I make you mad?" She asked softly a moment later.

Dusty was stunned by this question. "What?" He asked hoping he hadn't heard that right.

"Did I make you mad? That why you've been gone all day?" She sounded close to tears she had her head low.

"Olivia… Don't ever think I would just leave you alone because of something silly...And especially because of what happened yesterday… Another fire popped up, it's been going all day.." Dusty inched forward a bit more giving her a little nuzzle, mindful that she was still healing.

"Oh…" She nuzzled back, wishing she wasn't so sore so she could lay on his wing and just rest there. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize. You didn't know and I didn't know you were awake til it was finally out." He explained keeping his head close to her. "You really worried me…"

She sniffled and leaned up bringing her arms around him carefully. "I didn't mean to…"

"Shh." Dusty whispered. "Calm….It's okay…. I mean I was worried about you both… I hate seeing you kids hurt."

"I'll be okay…"

"Still… I'm just glad you're both up and safe…Though I don't think Andy heard me say hello." Dusty blinked moving back a little. "He looked...Oddly happy about something."

Olivia blinked. "... That explains why the loud complaints went quiet awhile ago… I bet they gave him something so he wouldn't be hurtin' but he would be tired too."

"That sounds about right… Are you in pain?"

"Uh uh, they patched me up good." She shook her head. "Dusty… Did you fly over me when I was stuck?"

"Yeah…. I put out the fires around you and my commander Blade Ranger, hoisted it off of you." Dusty left out the part about him trying to nudge her awake to make sure she was still breathing. He figured she had a long enough day she didn't need all the details. "Team effort."

She smiled. "I'll have to thank him… And thanks Dusty…"

Dusty smiled nuzzling her, just glad this nightmare was finally over. "Anytime Livvie… Anytime."

She nuzzled back, yawning as she blinked slowly. The plane chuckled. "Someone's sleepy."

"Not that sleepy…" She mumbled rubbing an eye.

"Not that sleepy eh?" He gently pushed her back down so she was able to rest. "Well then maybe rest your eyes a little."

Olivia mumbled something about it before curling up. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

_Little sister… Don't ever scare me like that again…_ He gave her one last nuzzle before rolling out, he had some reports to fill back up but he had asked Sarah to let him know when it was okay to visit again.

"Good night Andy." He called quietly to the boy.

"Good Night Shakira."

He halted. _Sha-Shakira? … Man do they got him flying high…_ He shook his head a little and continued on his way.

A few weeks later both siblings were out of the hospital and life was quickly returning to normal.

"EEK!" Olivia squeaked as she was scooped up by her vest, the plane who snared her up rolling around quickly in the grass. "Weee!"

"Gotcha now!" Dusty laughed before coming to a halt setting her down. She fell back onto the grass laughing folding her arms behind her head.

"You got me.." She giggled before getting up and going closer. Knowing what she was likely going to do, Dusty lowered himself on his gear.

Olivia smiled climbing on and holding on as he regained full height. "I love you." She kissed his hood.

He nuzzled her. "Love you too little sister."

She curled up a bit as Dusty moved to a shady spot under a tree to let them both take a break.

"Hey big brother?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the best firefighter around."


	14. New Arrival

_Why does it have to take so long?_ Dusty thought, rolling back and forth in front of the closed doors of the repair shop.

_I mean I know it takes awhile but…_

"Dusty….You're gonna wear out your tires then you're gonna make Dottie annoyed if you keep pacing." Andy pointed out, leaning against the building. The now eighteen year old yawned. "It's too darn early for this insanity anyways."

Olivia rolled her eyes, sitting on the ground next to him. "Don't listen to him…"

The reason why they were all waiting out here?

Ishani was inside and they were waiting to hear news on what was happening inside. "Think she's gonna be okay?" Dusty asked, trying to resist the urge.

"She's having a baby, not trying to save the world." Skipper pointed out. The old corsair being there to give his student and friend support… and he figured it wouldn't hurt to see the little one when it was alright.

… _I've gone soft._

"Alright, alright, you got a point." The cropduster sighed, lowering himself a little on his landing gear.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Y'know, my mom told me she was in labor for like two days when she had me-" At the horrified look he got from his friend he shook his head. "In her defense I was stubborn, according to her and humans take longer anyways."

"Ugh…That's it! I'm pacing again!"

"Dusty…" Olivia got up and went over to her friend hugging his wing. She was nine years old now and had gotten a little bigger so it wasn't as hard to reach up as it was when she was seven. "It's gonna be okay… Did you guys pick out a name yet?" She asked, trying to distract him.

"Yeah… Jett for a boy… and Chandra for a girl…" He replied, remembering how much his wife had teased him when he suggested "Strut Jetstream" for their unborn pup's name. "Ishani picked the second one…" He then broke off into a mumble.

"Eh?"

"... She laughed when I suggested Strut Jetstream."

"Dusty…" Andy said slowly. "If you named your kid that, as the unofficial uncle, I would have to put sugar in your engine and find some pipe to shove a potato into on ya. That's like taping a: "Please bend my prop into a pretzel" sign to your kid's face!"

Dusty cringed at the mental images he got from the threat. "Says the guy who still hasn't proposed to his girlfriend."

"OI! I got time and at least she ain't in there." He nodded his head towards the door.

Dusty rolled his eyes about to make a comeback when the door slid open.

"Dusty?" Dottie asked, rolling out. She looked tired but happy.

He swallowed hard, rolling forward after Olivia stepped back. "How is she…?"

"She's fine… You can come in now."

The door slid partially shut after he did so. It was quiet, he didn't expect this until he saw her…

Ishani was tired and resting low to the ground on her landing gear, nuzzling something that was beside her.

"Ishani?" He asked softly.

Her gaze shifted to him and she smiled. "Come here… Come meet him.."

Dusty smiled softly as she rolled back a bit revealing their son. He was a small hybrid plane, mostly having cropduster features but having similar styled wings to his mother. His coloring had a pale yellowish orange and his eyes were blue. The little pup looked up at his father curiously resting on his landing gear for now.

"Bah?" He squeaked a little. Dusty lowered himself to be closer to him.

"Hey there…" He murmured nuzzling him gently. The pup giggled nuzzling back. "So small… So his name's Jett…"

"I think it suits him." Ishani smiled, nuzzling her husband. "He takes after his dad."

Dusty grinned sheepishly before glancing to the door seeing a little figure poking their head in. "... I see you Livvie… Come on."

The nine year old perked up and hurried over. She had hoped she could see the new arrival up close.

Jett blinked looking at the human girl confused. "Bah?"

Olivia let out a small gasp as she knelt on her knees to get closer. "Oh Dusty… Ishani… He's beautiful." She smiled patting him gently on the head. "So small too… Like a puppy…" Jett rolled forward a little wobbly, resting his head on her lap. The girl smiled softly laying an arm around him.

"Yeah, we planes start out small… Give us time to get stronger so we can grow bigger." Dusty explained, smiling at the sight. "He won't be flying for a good couple of years, needs to grow up more."

"Is he gonna stay this same color?" She asked looking up at the two.

"Eh… It depends on his personality." Dusty cringed a bit remembering his first paintover job when he was a pup. "We're born with a basic paint job, so there's no special details or decals. When the time comes that's all the pup's choice when they're old enough to make that choice."

"... What's with that look?" Ishani asked, giggling a bit at his expression.

"... I picked this really dumb looking lime green paint when I was a kid cause someone convinced me it would make me faster." _Those pictures have since been locked somewhere so my mother can never use 'em to embarrass me…_ He added in his mind.

"...Yuck." Olivia cringed as well trying to picture the orange and white cropduster as lime green of all things. He had been red and white with black for awhile as a firefighter but that was only for a short time. Jett squeaked a little trying to roll up onto the girl's lap giving her a puppy dog look.

"Aww…! Can I pick him up?" She asked giving a similar look.

The two chuckled. "Of course… Just be careful, mind his prop." Dusty told the girl.

She picked up the little plane holding him close. She was surprised at how light he was. He weighed about as much as the barn cat back at the house and was a little smaller than that. Jett didn't notice this as he cuddled close to her, resting his chin on her arm closing his eyes.

She smiled stroking his head a little as he let out a sigh. "Aww...Can I keep him?"

Dusty laughed. "We can share him kiddo."

"Yay!" She giggled.

Andy knocked on the door. "You guys done hogging the kid?" He called.

"Come in!"

The young man walked in, giving a nod to the couple. "Hey… How you holding up Ishani?" He asked, noticing the pan-asian racer leaning up against her partner a little.

"Just tired… It's been a very long day." Ishani replied. Dusty nuzzled her. "But it was worth it.."

"Good good… So… Is it a Strut?" He teased.

Dusty rolled his eyes. "His name is Jett… and take a look yourself."

Andy shrugged a bit and sat down with his sister looking at the plane pup nestled in her arms.

"... Alright that is pretty cute."

At that moment Jett sneezed, his prop spinning as he let out a little whine. Olivia rocked him a little.

"Shh… Shh… It's okay…"

"Hey don't hog him. Gimme!"

Olivia rolled her eyes passing the pup to her brother. "You drop him I'm sure they'll make an exception of the "No running over squishies" rule." She joked. Dusty feigned an angry look revving his engine a bit for effect.

Andy rolled his eyes. "I know." He cradled Jett looking at him. "... Dang he's tiny…" He murmured before getting an idea as he tried tickling him. "Gotcha!"

Jett squealed giggling, his prop spinning quickly as he did. Andy's hand got hit by it a few times, but due to how small and young Jett was it just bounced off, it wasn't strong enough to slice through anything… Not yet at least. He stopped after a moment chuckling as the pup let out a yawn. He stood up and brought him back over to his parents setting him down on the towel he was resting on before. "There we go…"

Jett yawned lowering himself eyes sliding closed. "Bah…"

"Shh…" Ishani and Dusty lowered themselves more to be closer to their son. "Rest now…"

"Time for bed little guy.."

Andy smiled stepping back and scooping up his little sister. Olivia whined but hung on. "We'll get outta your hair… I'm sure mom and dad will come by later and then you won't see that kid for hours… Mom goes nuts over babies."

"We'll keep that in mind...Take care… and thanks kids." Dusty replied genuinely. He was happy he was able to share this time with the humans he had come to know as part of the family.

Andy grinned. "No problem… Brother."

"Bye bye." Olivia waved as they headed out.

The two planes looked at each other nuzzling a bit, sharing a quick kiss before resting with their son.

_Welcome to the world Jett… You have a lot of people who love you already…._

Jett let out another sneeze that echoed as he hit his nose on the ground a little letting out a whimper. His father nuzzled him. "Shh…"

_Though… We'll have to watch the sneezing..._


	15. Big Sister

She was a tiny little thing. Even by human standards she was small, so combined with the machines she was so fond of being around it could get interesting.

Someone her size could easily get underfoot and yet somehow she never did.

But they still felt protective… Even now as they had been turned into humans that didn't stop.

Which was how Dottie found herself looking in on the child as she slept.

Olivia however wasn't sleeping well at all. She was tossing and turning whimpering in her sleep. A nightmare that was attacking the little girl as she tried to make a sound yet nothing came out.

Dottie didn't know how to react, she just did the first thing that came to mind, pulling the girl up a little, shaking her a bit. Calling her name over and over.

"Olivia! Olivia wake up!"

Within seconds Olivia was awake and trying to wiggle away, still feeling the bits and pieces of the nightmare trying to come back to mind.

Dottie didn't care, she just held her closer rocking her a little. "Shh...Shh…" She whispered stroking the girl's hair. "Shh...I got you...You're okay...It's okay…"

Olivia cried a little clinging to her burying her face in her shoulder. "S-scary….It was scary…"

"Shh…"

"...Big sis…"

It had been a few months since that time, in that time Dottie was now a forklift again...And Olivia still liked hanging around when she could. She still loved playing with Dusty, but since the racer was busy getting ready for his next race, he didn't have much time to play.

So hanging around the Fill N Fly it was.

Dottie didn't mind, it was nice to have the company of someone who wasn't a client.

Some Days though it seemed the little girl was as capable of getting hurt as her clients. This was proven one day when Olivia came into the building tears rolling down her face, limping a little.

"Olivia?!" Dottie rolled over to her. "What's wrong?"

"My ankle...I fell, when I was tree climbing…" She mumbled wincing as she put more weight on the injured limb in question.

The forklift shook her head carefully picking the girl up setting her on the table. "Let's get a look at it okay?"

"Okay Dottie…"

She did a quick exam, finding that it wasn't broken just sprained. She carefully set a splint on it, making sure to keep the wrap tight enough that it wouldn't slip but loose enough as to not hurt her.

Olivia was quiet watching her work. "Hey Dottie…?"

"Hm?" The forklift looked up...Not expecting to have the seven year old hug her tightly. Her gaze softened as she brought her lifts around her. "You okay sweetie?"

"I'm fine...Thanks for everything." Olivia smiled. "Big sis."

Dottie smiled. "Anytime...Little sis."


	16. Never Alone

Andy stood outside his sister's door, hearing her crying her heart out inside.

She had to say goodbye to Dusty as he went off to become the town's second firefighter. She knew it was to help them all, but she still had tried to put on a brave face. And when he had flown away she had ran trying to spot him until she had fell.

And now she was in her room crying. She had been in there for almost two hours now. He hated seeing Olivia so upset like this, it killed him inside. She was his little sister, he loved her so much that he would die for her.

Andy sighed a bit knocking.

"Go 'way!" Olivia called back sniffling, hiccuping a little.

"Livvie...C'mon let's talk…" He pleaded quietly.

"No…"

_Alright...If she won't do it the logical way...I'll have to just play her cards…._He knocked again.

"I SAID GO AWAY-"

"You don't have to put on a brave face in front of me Livvie…"

There was silence before Olivia opened the door. Andy knelt to her level as she hugged him hiding her face in his shirt. He brought his arms around her, stroking her hair. "Shh…"

"I miss him already...I'm worried...What if he really hurts himself Andy?"

"He wouldn't...He knows we're all waiting for him to come on home." He assured kissing her head. She leaned up kissing his chin. "You've been so brave for him… One of the few people who actually tried to comfort him…"

She sniffled curling up to her brother cuddling a little. "He's my best friend…" She sobbed a little. "I don't want him gone!"

"And he I'm sure doesn't wanna be gone. He knows this is what he has to do to get the town opened up again though." Andy said rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. "Shh…."

Olivia whimpered clinging to her sibling. "Don't leave me too...Please don't leave me…"

"Shh...I'm not gonna leave you sis...I promise…"

"He'll keep his promise right? He'll come back?" She asked voice hoarse from crying so much. She hiccuped again.

Andy tilted her head up looking her in the eyes. "I promise he will keep his promise. Has Dusty ever let us down before?"

She shook her head. He had never let them down, not once.

"Then there's your answer. He's got an engine of gold...And we're family…. Family doesn't get left behind...Or forgotten."

Olivia smiled a little curling up. "Thanks bro...I love you."

Andy smiled softly. "Love you too Liv.."

"Hey...Tomorrow….Do you think we could go to the park?"

"Of course."

She smiled curling up yawning a little. Andy lifted her up laying her on her bed. She curled up a little.

Andy picked up her stuffed monkey and held it up. "Hey your old friend missed ya…"

"Nana!" Olivia hugged her monkey curling up into a ball. Andy ruffled her hair, taking out her barrette. "Hey…"

"You don't wanna sleep with this." He said setting it on her night stand. "I think you need a nap…"

"Okay...Wuv you…" She mumbled closing her eyes.

Andy smiled tucking her in. "I love you too."

She drifted off hugging her toy close to her.

Andy looked around before setting something new next to her head. It was in a box of leftover merchandise from Dusty's racing days.

A little plush of the cropduster plane. _This'll do for now… Just come back in one piece Dusty…_ He quietly left the room turning down her light.

_You've become too important to all of us to die now…_


	17. Can I keep him?

Olivia Hayes hummed a little as she walked down the pathway to an off beaten path near her home. She was by herself for now and a little bored. No one was up for playing today, and her lessons were postponed for now.

Dusty was getting ready for a big race, Dottie was tuning, him up. Andy had a conference at the race, and Maya was with him for that.

So now it was just her walking along the trails coming into a field of wild flowers. She leaned over the rocks that surrounded it a little breathing in deep. The air smelled sweet here, due to the flowers and it was quiet. Peaceful.

_Maybe I can make a flower crown for mommy…_ She thought climbing over the rocks and landing on the grass giggling a little.

She walked around picking up flowers as she went.

_Maybe next time Dusty has a race Dottie'll let me help get him all ready to race…_ She thought looking up at the sky seeing some balsa planes fly by along with birds.

Olivia stopped short hearing something. She looked around. "Hello?" She called.

There was the sound, of something moving. She could see the taller grass and flowers moving as whatever it was ran through it.

Olivia gulped a bit but went over as it stopped, she parted the grass and gasped.

Standing in the middle of the tall grass was a miniature Clydsdale horse, with an orange mane and large blue eyes. It looked up at her with a curious look.

"Oh…" She breathed. "So little." She knelt in front of it, as it walked up to her sniffing her a little. "Hi there…" She slowly brought her hand to the horse's back not wanting to frighten it. She pet it a bit as it seemed to relax, putting two hooves on her lap. "Aww…"

"That feels nice…" The horse sighed closing it's eyes. Olivia's eyes widened. She didn't just hear that did she?

"It...Does?" She asked.

The horse nodded. "Yeah!"

The voice sounded familiar as well. She shrugged a bit and gently hugged him giving him a light nuzzle. "I'm Olivia...But everyone calls me Livvie...What's your name?"

He grinned. "Dusty...Dusty Crophopper!"

Olivia's eyes went wide...Before she squealed.

"Really?" She asked.

Dusty nodded. "Yep!"

She scooped him up hugging him a little tighter. "Aww!"

A little while later Olivia ran up to Andy holding the pony in her arms. He blinked when he saw it. "What…?"

Olivia used the puppy dog look as the pony ,mimicked her. "Can I keep him?" She asked.

"Livvie..What is that!?" He asked.

Dusty parked behind the boy blinked looking at it. "Looks like a miniature horse.." The plane commented.

"Yep!" Said horse grinned.

Then they both gave each other a look.

"That voice…" The plane began.

"That's my voice!" The pony finished.

Andy facepalmed. "Two Dusty's…"

"Can I pwease keep little Dusty? Please?" Olivia pleaded throwing in a whimper.

"GAH!" Andy yelped. "It's too cute!"

"Hrk… Way too cute!" Plane Dusty agreed as the two backed up trying not to make eye contact.

Olivia and the pony then...Gave them double puppy dog looks.

"Pweeeeeaaaase? Pwetty pwetty pwease?"

"Hrk….My heart…" Andy mumbled putting his hand on his chest. "Fine! You win!"

"YAY!"

Andy learned two lessons that day:

One was never question if the fourth wall was broken.

Two was never doubt the power of Olivia's puppy dog eyes.


	18. Anniversary

Sarah and Brody enjoyed taking walks together. It was something they could do, without spending money, most of the time without their kids, and it was also a good way to spend time together.

Walking through town, talking about anything that popped into their heads.

"You know… Our Anniversary is coming up…" Sarah mused during one walk, through Propwash, looking in the windows of a few of the shops.

Brody brought an arm around her as he smiled. "Yeah…Seventeen wonderful years…" He sighed in content remembering that day.

Sarah smiled leaning into her husband. "So glad I got you back…"

"Yeah...So...What would you like?"

"Oh..Nothing in particular…"

_Which means, "I want something you're not gonna like, but I want it anyway."_ He thought chuckling, he knew his wife. "Oh yeah?" He noticed her looking in a shop window following her gaze.

She was looking wistfully at a petshop, more importantly at a litter of what he could tell were Roomba pups buzzing about hopping up a little in the window.

Brody gulped a bit. _She wants one of THOSE?_

She sighed wistfully. "So cute… You know I never had a pet of my own growing up…"

"Really?" He asked as they started to walk into said shop, Brody curious of how much they cost and how much his wife could tolerate holding one. "I thought you had horses and things."

"Horses were shared, they were mostly Jason's...Cats...Always Jason's, literally they hated me…" She went quiet reaching in to where the little roomba's were as one went up to her sniffing her hand before giving it a light nuzzle. "Aw…"

Brody frowned a little. "That stinks…"

"Yeah… Why I was glad I was able to give the kids different...A kid really needs a pet y'know?" She said before picking up the little machine cradling it a bit. It sniffed her before nuzzling her again. She giggled a bit. "Aww…"

Brody knew at this moment, he knew what to give his wife. "Sarah...Put it down...I'll meet you outside…"

She frowned a bit and set it back with it's littermates. "Okay…" She headed out.

"Hey! Can someone tell me how much the roomba pups in the window are?!"

A few days later, after an enjoyable dinner out, and a quiet dessert at home with their children, Sarah was curled up with her husband on their anniversary.

"I love you…"

"I love you too Sarah…"

"So…" She sat up on the couch with a grin. "Can we open presents now?"

He laughed and brought out a large box with a few holes in it. "Of course."

She got a puzzled look as she opened it.

The same little roomba pup she had been hugging was looking up at her trying to get out of the box. She squealed as she scooped it up hugging it. "Oh Brody! You got him for me!?"

"Yes… I want you to be happy my love." He kissed her cheek. "And plus...They also clean so he could help you around the house."

She smiled softly as she pet her new companion as the little machine purred. "He's perfect...Just what I wanted...Thank you." She passed him a smaller slender box with a sheepish look. "Blows mine right out of the water."

"Nonsense." He said as he opened it...To find a pocketwatch with: "Our Love is Timeless." engraved on it. Brody felt some tears as he brought an arm around his wife. "Sarah… You truly are amazing…"

"You like it?" She asked hopefully.

"I love it." He kissed her.

She leaned into it closing her eyes.

They heard a camera go off as they parted quickly. Andy and Olivia stood there with the family's camera snickering.

"Loverbirds!"

"Mommy has a new pet!" Olivia cheered running over. "Can I see?"

"Of course." She replied showing her daughter the roomba as it sniffed Olivia curiously. "Be gentle now, he's just a pup."

"I will...Oh he's so cute…"

Andy chuckled. "Good day eh?" He asked his dad.

Brody smiled keeping an arm around his wife.

"It's been perfect."

The roomba sneezed, covering Sarah and Olivia in dust.

Andy and Brody proceeded to crack up.

"YEP!"

"BRODY DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH!"

"AAAANDDYYY!"

_Worth it!_


End file.
